Lamar Elementary School removed from EPISD plans to close multiple schools
Six months after the El Paso Independent School District voted to close eight schools with low attendance, Lamar Elementary School was saved from shuttering.
During the Tuesday, May 20, EPISD school board meeting, a 5-2 vote by the newly elected school board reversed the previous board's decision and moved to keep the school at 1440 E Cliff Drive open until further notice. The school was scheduled to close next year.
Daniel Call and Valerie Ganelon Beals were the only remaining trustees to uphold the previous board's decision.
The plan to close Lamar Elementary School with seven others was part of Destination District Redesign, aimed at dealing with declining enrollment and budget concerns.
As part of the plans, students were to be sent to nearby schools, and there was additional funding to improve the remaining elementary schools in the district.
District officials noted that an estimated $3.2 million yearly will be needed to keep the doors open. Currently, the district is grappling with a $31 million deficit, which does not include keeping the school open.
Failure to keep EPISD financially viable has its own perils, such as workforce reductions, program cuts, increased classroom sizes, and persistent financial instability. The school district's revenue shortfall continues to increase for fiscal years FY2027 and FY2028, to $39 million and $45 million, respectively.
The school has 46 teachers who would have been laid off had the closure plans moved forward. It would have also impacted a student body of an estimated 280 students.
They include Carlos Rivera, Newman, Putnam, Rusk, and Zavala elementary schools will close their doors next school year. Stanton and Travis's elementary schools will close the following year.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Lamar Elementary School removed from EPISD plans to close schools
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